Short PUCCH formats and scheduling request (SR) transmission for 5th generation (5G) new radio access technology (NR)

ABSTRACT

A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes a processor and memory in electronic communication with the processor. Instructions stored in the memory are executable to determine a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format. The instructions are also executable to transmit uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCH resource using the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure is used in each symbol, and if the UCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols using repetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, and if the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded, and the encoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/501,305, entitled “SHORT PUCCH FORMATS ANDSCHEDULING REQUEST (SR) TRANSMISSION FOR 5th GENERATION (5G) NEW RADIOACCESS TECHNOLOGY (NR),” filed on May 4, 2017, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein, in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems. Morespecifically, the present disclosure relates to short physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH) formats and scheduling request (SR) transmissionfor 5th generation (5G) new radio access technology (NR).

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication devices have become smaller and more powerful inorder to meet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience.Consumers have become dependent upon wireless communication devices andhave come to expect reliable service, expanded areas of coverage andincreased functionality. A wireless communication system may providecommunication for a number of wireless communication devices, each ofwhich may be serviced by a base station. A base station may be a devicethat communicates with wireless communication devices.

As wireless communication devices have advanced, improvements incommunication capacity, speed, flexibility and/or efficiency have beensought. However, improving communication capacity, speed, flexibilityand/or efficiency may present certain problems.

For example, wireless communication devices may communicate with one ormore devices using a communication structure. However, the communicationstructure used may only offer limited flexibility and/or efficiency. Asillustrated by this discussion, systems and methods that improvecommunication flexibility and/or efficiency may be beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of one or morebase stations (gNBs) and one or more user equipments (UEs) in whichshort physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats and schedulingrequest (SR) transmission for 5th generation (5G) new radio accesstechnology (NR) may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a resource grid for thedownlink;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of a resource grid for theuplink;

FIG. 4 shows examples of several numerologies;

FIG. 5 shows examples of subframe structures for the numerologies thatare shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows examples of slots and sub-slots;

FIG. 7 shows examples of scheduling timelines;

FIG. 8 shows examples of downlink (DL) control channel monitoringregions;

FIG. 9 shows examples of DL control channel which consists of more thanone control channel elements;

FIG. 10 shows examples of uplink (UL) control channel structures;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a gNB;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a UE;

FIG. 13 illustrates various components that may be utilized in a UE;

FIG. 14 illustrates various components that may be utilized in a gNB;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a UE inwhich short PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR may beimplemented;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a gNB inwhich short PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR may beimplemented;

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for implementing shortPUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR;

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating another method for implementingshort PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method of a userequipment (UE); and

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method of a basestation apparatus (gNB).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes a processor andmemory in electronic communication with the processor. Instructionsstored in the memory are executable to determine a physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format. The instructionsare also executable to transmit uplink control information (UCI) on thePUCCH resource using the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbolshort PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure is used in each symbol, and if theUCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols using repetitionof a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, andif the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded, and theencoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols.

A base station is also described. The base station includes a processorand memory in electronic communication with the processor. Instructionsstored in the memory are executable to determine a PUCCH resource and aPUCCH format. The instructions are also executable to receive UCI on thePUCCH resource using the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbolshort PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure is used in each symbol, and if theUCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols using repetitionof a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, andif the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded, and theencoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols.

A method for a UE is also described. The method includes determining aPUCCH resource and a PUCCH format. The method also includes transmittingUCI on the PUCCH resource using the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format isa 2-symbol short PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure is used in each symbol,and if the UCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols usingrepetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol shortPUCCH, and if the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded,and the encoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols.

A method for a base station is also described. The method includesdetermining a PUCCH resource and a PUCCH format. The method alsoincludes receiving UCI on the PUCCH resource using the PUCCH format. Ifthe PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure isused in each symbol, and if the UCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeatedin two symbols using repetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH formatis a 2-symbol short PUCCH, and if the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCIis jointly encoded, and the encoded UCI bits are distributed across twosymbols.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, also referred to as “3GPP,” is acollaboration agreement that aims to define globally applicabletechnical specifications and technical reports for third and fourthgeneration wireless communication systems. The 3GPP may definespecifications for next generation mobile networks, systems and devices.

3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the name given to a project to improvethe Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile phone ordevice standard to cope with future requirements. In one aspect, UMTShas been modified to provide support and specification for the EvolvedUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).

At least some aspects of the systems and methods disclosed herein may bedescribed in relation to the 3GPP LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and otherstandards (e.g., 3GPP Releases 8, 9, 10, 11 and/or 12). However, thescope of the present disclosure should not be limited in this regard. Atleast some aspects of the systems and methods disclosed herein may beutilized in other types of wireless communication systems.

A wireless communication device may be an electronic device used tocommunicate voice and/or data to a base station, which in turn maycommunicate with a network of devices (e.g., public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), the Internet, etc.). In describing systems and methodsherein, a wireless communication device may alternatively be referred toas a mobile station, a UE, an access terminal, a subscriber station, amobile terminal, a remote station, a user terminal, a terminal, asubscriber unit, a mobile device, etc. Examples of wirelesscommunication devices include cellular phones, smart phones, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, netbooks, e-readers,wireless modems, etc. In 3GPP specifications, a wireless communicationdevice is typically referred to as a UE. However, as the scope of thepresent disclosure should not be limited to the 3GPP standards, theterms “UE” and “wireless communication device” may be usedinterchangeably herein to mean the more general term “wirelesscommunication device.” A UE may also be more generally referred to as aterminal device.

In 3GPP specifications, a base station is typically referred to as aNode B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a home enhanced or evolved Node B(HeNB) or some other similar terminology. As the scope of the disclosureshould not be limited to 3GPP standards, the terms “base station,” “NodeB,” “eNB,” and “HeNB” may be used interchangeably herein to mean themore general term “base station.” Furthermore, the term “base station”may be used to denote an access point. An access point may be anelectronic device that provides access to a network (e.g., Local AreaNetwork (LAN), the Internet, etc.) for wireless communication devices.The term “communication device” may be used to denote both a wirelesscommunication device and/or a base station. An eNB may also be moregenerally referred to as a base station device.

It should be noted that as used herein, a “cell” may be anycommunication channel that is specified by standardization or regulatorybodies to be used for International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced(IMT-Advanced) and all of it or a subset of it may be adopted by 3GPP aslicensed bands (e.g., frequency bands) to be used for communicationbetween an eNB and a UE. It should also be noted that in E-UTRA andE-UTRAN overall description, as used herein, a “cell” may be defined as“combination of downlink and optionally uplink resources.” The linkingbetween the carrier frequency of the downlink resources and the carrierfrequency of the uplink resources may be indicated in the systeminformation transmitted on the downlink resources.

“Configured cells” are those cells of which the UE is aware and isallowed by an eNB to transmit or receive information. “Configuredcell(s)” may be serving cell(s). The UE may receive system informationand perform the required measurements on all configured cells.“Configured cell(s)” for a radio connection may consist of a primarycell and/or no, one, or more secondary cell(s). “Activated cells” arethose configured cells on which the UE is transmitting and receiving.That is, activated cells are those cells for which the UE monitors thephysical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and in the case of a downlinktransmission, those cells for which the UE decodes a physical downlinkshared channel (PDSCH). “Deactivated cells” are those configured cellsthat the UE is not monitoring the transmission PDCCH. It should be notedthat a “cell” may be described in terms of differing dimensions. Forexample, a “cell” may have temporal, spatial (e.g., geographical) andfrequency characteristics.

Fifth generation (5G) cellular communications (also referred to as “NewRadio”, “New Radio Access Technology” or “NR” by 3GPP) envisions the useof time/frequency/space resources to allow for enhanced mobile broadband(eMBB) communication and ultra-reliable low latency communication(URLLC) services, as well as massive machine type communication (mMTC)like services. In order for the services to use the time/frequency/spacemedium efficiently it would be useful to be able to flexibly scheduleservices on the medium so that the medium may be used as effectively aspossible, given the conflicting needs of URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC. A newradio base station may be referred to as a gNB. A gNB may also be moregenerally referred to as a base station device.

In LTE, a separate physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource isconfigured for scheduling request (SR) transmission. The SR is one typeof Uplink Control Information (UCI). In connected mode, the UE may sendan SR to the base station (e.g., a gNB), to request for scheduling of anuplink (UL) data transmission. The SR in LTE is only 1 bit, and can beindicated by a transmission on an SR resource or in a joint report withother UCI on a PUCCH.

In NR, multiple short PUCCH formats and multiple long PUCCH formats maybe defined, and the PUCCH formats of a UE may be configured by a basestation. Also, the SR may be enhanced to support multiple bits (e.g., toindicate the priority of a pending traffic).

Similar to LTE, the SR may be configured with independent PUCCHresources in NR. If there is no SR, no signal is transmitted on the SRresource. If there is an SR, the SR transmission depends on whetherthere is other UCI to be reported in the same slot.

NR may define multiple PUCCH formats, including PUCCH in short durationand PUCCH in long duration. How to configure the format and resourcesfor SR transmissions in NR is not discussed or specified yet in 3GPP.

Potential SR formats and resource configurations are described herein.For an SR-only transmission, the SR may be transmitted with theconfigured format on the configured resource.

Different cases of SR collision with other UCI on a physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH) are also described herein. To report SR andHARQ-ACK together, the SR format or PUCCH format may be adapted to ahigher payload format in some cases. Methods of control channeltransmission following priority rules with channel dropping or powerscaling are also described herein.

In NR, multiple short PUCCH formats and multiple long PUCCH formats maybe defined, and the PUCCH formats of a UE may be configured by a basestation. The SR may be configured with a defined PUCCH format. The SRformat and resource allocations may be different from normal PUCCH.

Implementations of the SR channel format and resource allocation aredescribed herein. SR formats and resources with 1 bit may be configuredseparately for traffics with different priorities. SR formats andresources with more than 1 bit may be configured to indicate thepriority of pending traffic. The SR resource may be configured with1-symbol PUCCH format based on sequence selection. The set of sequencesfor the SR resource depends on the number of bits of a SR report. The SRresource may be configured with 1-symbol PUCCH format based on RS andUCI multiplexing with 6 RS and 6 UCI carrying REs in each RB. The SRresource may be configured with 2-symbol PUCCH format by repeating thesame UCI on two symbols with frequency hopping to provide diversity. TheSR resource may be configured with long PUCCH format.

Channel collision between SR and other PUCCH carrying other UCI (e.g.,HARQ-ACK) is also described herein. In a case of a full overlap of SRand HARQ-ACK transmission, if the PUCCH resource for HARQ-ACK supportsmore than 2 bits, the SR bits may be appended to the HARQ-ACK bit, andthen joint coded and reported on the PUCCH resource for HARQ-ACK.However, in a case of 1 or 2 bits of HARQ-ACK and multiple bit SRtransmissions, there is no space to carry extra information on a singlePUCCH. Furthermore, because the SR resource may have a different lengthfrom other PUCCH transmission, joint reporting of SR with HARQ-ACK isnot always possible due to timing issues.

Therefore, new methods are described to support simultaneous UCItransmission. In one method, PUCCH format adaptation may be applied. AUE may be configured with multiple PUCCH resources with differentmaximum payload sizes. In case of simultaneous HARQ-ACK and SRtransmissions, a PUCCH resource with higher payload may be used insteadof the default PUCCH resource with 1 or 2 bits payload. The existingPUCCH format and resource for 1 or 2 bits may be adapted to a PUCCHformat with higher payload at the same RB resources. In RS and UCImultiplexing case, a different RS pattern and overhead may be used.

In another method, simultaneous PUCCH transmissions may be supported.This is not limited to SR and HARQ-ACK, but also to other collisioncases such as HARQ-ACK and Channel State Information (CSI) feedback. Thenumber of simultaneous PUCCH transmission can be limited to two. In apower limited case, power scaling may be applied based on a priorityrule defined by UCI type and traffic priority.

In yet another method, only one PUCCH channel is transmitted. Channeldropping is applied based on a priority rule defined by UCI type andtraffic priority. The priority rule may be defined as follows fromhighest to lowest: HARQ-ACK for high priority traffic (e.g., URLLC); SRwith high priority (e.g., URLLC); HARQ-ACK for other traffic (e.g.,eMBB); SR with low priority (e.g., eMBB); CSI for high priority channel(e.g., URLLC); CSI for low priority channel (e.g., eMBB); Uplink data(i.e., PUSCH).

Various examples of the systems and methods disclosed herein are nowdescribed with reference to the Figures, where like reference numbersmay indicate functionally similar elements. The systems and methods asgenerally described and illustrated in the Figures herein could bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different implementations.Thus, the following more detailed description of severalimplementations, as represented in the Figures, is not intended to limitscope, as claimed, but is merely representative of the systems andmethods.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of one or moregNBs 160 and one or more UEs 102 in which short physical uplink controlchannel (PUCCH) formats and scheduling request (SR) transmission for 5thgeneration (5G) new radio access technology (NR) may be implemented. Theone or more UEs 102 communicate with one or more gNBs 160 using one ormore antennas 122 a-n. For example, a UE 102 transmits electromagneticsignals to the gNB 160 and receives electromagnetic signals from the gNB160 using the one or more antennas 122 a-n. The gNB 160 communicateswith the UE 102 using one or more antennas 180 a-n.

The UE 102 and the gNB 160 may use one or more channels 119, 121 tocommunicate with each other. For example, a UE 102 may transmitinformation or data to the gNB 160 using one or more uplink channels121. Examples of uplink channels 121 include a PUCCH and a PUSCH, etc.The one or more gNBs 160 may also transmit information or data to theone or more UEs 102 using one or more downlink channels 119, forinstance. Examples of downlink channels 119 include a PDCCH, a PDSCH,etc. Other kinds of channels may be used.

Each of the one or more UEs 102 may include one or more transceivers118, one or more demodulators 114, one or more decoders 108, one or moreencoders 150, one or more modulators 154, a data buffer 104 and a UEoperations module 124. For example, one or more reception and/ortransmission paths may be implemented in the UE 102. For convenience,only a single transceiver 118, decoder 108, demodulator 114, encoder 150and modulator 154 are illustrated in the UE 102, though multipleparallel elements (e.g., transceivers 118, decoders 108, demodulators114, encoders 150 and modulators 154) may be implemented.

The transceiver 118 may include one or more receivers 120 and one ormore transmitters 158. The one or more receivers 120 may receive signalsfrom the gNB 160 using one or more antennas 122 a-n. For example, thereceiver 120 may receive and downconvert signals to produce one or morereceived signals 116. The one or more received signals 116 may beprovided to a demodulator 114. The one or more transmitters 158 maytransmit signals to the gNB 160 using one or more antennas 122 a-n. Forexample, the one or more transmitters 158 may upconvert and transmit oneor more modulated signals 156.

The demodulator 114 may demodulate the one or more received signals 116to produce one or more demodulated signals 112. The one or moredemodulated signals 112 may be provided to the decoder 108. The UE 102may use the decoder 108 to decode signals. The decoder 108 may producedecoded signals 110, which may include a UE-decoded signal 106 (alsoreferred to as a first UE-decoded signal 106). For example, the firstUE-decoded signal 106 may comprise received payload data, which may bestored in a data buffer 104. Another signal included in the decodedsignals 110 (also referred to as a second UE-decoded signal 110) maycomprise overhead data and/or control data. For example, the secondUE-decoded signal 110 may provide data that may be used by the UEoperations module 124 to perform one or more operations.

In general, the UE operations module 124 may enable the UE 102 tocommunicate with the one or more gNBs 160. The UE operations module 124may include one or more of a UE short PUCCH and SR transmission module126.

The UE short PUCCH module 126 may implement short PUCCH formats and SRtransmission for 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR). Uplink controlinformation in NR are described. In LTE, the UCI carries hybrid-ARQacknowledgements (HARQ-ACK), channel state information (CSI), and ascheduling request (SR). The CSI may include one or more of channelquality indicator (CQI), rank indication (RI), precoding matrixindicator (PMI), precoding type indicator (PTI), etc. Multipledimensions of CSI may be reported from one or more cells to supportFD-MIMO and CoMP operations. The scheduling request (SR) is a specialPhysical Layer message for the UE 102 to ask the network to send an ULGrant (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI) Format 0) so that the UE102 can transmit PUSCH.

Similarly, in NR, a scheduling request (SR), if defined, needs to betransmitted outside PUSCH, as well as HARQ-ACK for latency reasons. TheCSI report in NR should be enhanced to support massive MIMO andbeamforming methods. Thus, multiple sets of CSI may be reported in NR.Again, a CSI feedback may include one or more of CQI, RI, PMI, PTI, beamindex, etc. At least two types of CSI reports may be supported, periodicCSI and aperiodic CSI. Periodic CSI report can be configuredsemi-statically. Aperiodic CSI can be trigger with a CSI request fromthe gNB 160. Therefore, physical uplink control signaling should be ableto carry at least hybrid-ARQ acknowledgements, CSI reports (possiblyincluding beamforming information), and scheduling requests.

The UCI information may be transmitted as L1/L2 control signaling (e.g.,via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or physical uplink sharechannel (PUSCH) or uplink data channel). Furthermore, it should bepossible to dynamically indicate (at least in combination with RadioResource Control (RRC)) the timing between data reception and hybrid-ARQacknowledgement transmission as part of the DCI.

5G NR physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) are also discussed herein.In 5G NR, at least two different types of uplink control channel (PUCCH)formats may be specified, at least one short PUCCH format and one longPUCCH format.

A short PUCCH is also known as a PUCCH in short duration. A long PUCCHis also known as a PUCCH in long duration. A short PUCCH may include oneor two symbols. A short PUCCH may provide fast HARQ-ACK response for lowlatency applications and can reduce the PUCCH overhead. The payload sizeof a short PUCCH can be lower than a long PUCCH. A long PUCCH format mayspan multiple symbols and slots. Multiple long PUCCH formats may bedefined with at least 4 symbols that are within a slot, or span overmultiple slots. A long PUCCH format may be useful for larger payloadHARQ-ACK feedback, CSI feedback, etc.

For a short PUCCH, some or all the following parameters may beconfigured: the number of symbols (i.e., 1 symbol or two symbol); thewaveform: CP-OFDM or DFT-S-OFDM; the number of RBs in a PUCCHregion/subband; the Reference Signal (RS) location, RS pattern andspreading sequence if applied; the spreading sequence on UCI datasymbols if applied; frequency diversity with multiple PUCCHregions/subbands; transmit diversity with two configured PUCCHresources; the location of one or more configured PUCCH regions/subbandsincluding size and position of each PUCCH subband/region in the carrier;and localized or distributed resource allocation for a PUCCH resource ina PUCCH region/subband.

For a long PUCCH, at some or all of the following parameters may beconfigured for a given UE 102: the waveform: DFT-S-OFDM or CP-OFDM; along PUCCH may occupy multiple RBs, where the number of RBs of a longPUCCH may be configured (e.g., based on the payload size); the length ofa long PUCCH (a long PUCCH may have a minimum length of 4 symbols, andmay occupy one or more slots. The length of a long PUCCH can beconfigurable based on the payload size and delay tolerance, etc.); atradeoff can be considered between the number of RBs and the number ofslots; the RS pattern and RS position; the spreading sequence for UCImultiplexing; frequency diversity with multiple PUCCH regions/subbands;transmit diversity with two configured PUCCH resources; the location ofone or more configured PUCCH regions/subbands including size andposition of each PUCCH subband/region in the carrier; localized ordistributed resource allocation for a PUCCH resource in a PUCCHregion/subband.

For a PUCCH format configuration, a combination of semi-staticconfiguration and (at least for some types of UCI information) dynamicsignaling may be used to determine the PUCCH formats and resources bothfor the long and short PUCCH formats.

In NR, multiple short PUCCH formats and multiple long PUCCH formats maybe defined, and the PUCCH formats of a UE 102 may be configured by abase station (e.g., gNB 160). To support Time Division Multiplexing(TDM) of short PUCCH from different UEs 102 in the same slot, amechanism to tell the UE 102 on which symbol(s) in a slot to transmitthe short PUCCH is supported at least above 6 GHz. Similarly, for a longPUCCH, the gNB 160 may inform the UE 102 of the starting symbol and theduration of the long PUCCH transmission.

The PUCCH channel may be designed to carry uplink control information(UCI). In NR, multiple short PUCCH formats and multiple long PUCCHformats may be defined, and the PUCCH formats of a UE 102 may beconfigured by a base station (e.g., gNB 160). For 1-symbol PUCCH with 1or 2 bits of payload, at least two options may be considered: RS and UCIare multiplexed by FDM manner in the OFDM symbol; and sequence selectionwith low peak to average power ratio (PAPR).

For a sequence based short PUCCH, a UE 102 can be configured with a setof low PAPR sequences (e.g., Zadoff-Chu sequences). The informationcarried on the PUCCH is represented by the sequence transmitted. Ifsequence based short PUCCH is specified, a sequence set includingmultiple sequences may be assigned for a UE 102 to carry the UCI. Forexample, 2 sequences in a sequence set for sequence selection may carry1 bit of UCI; and 4 sequences in a sequence set for sequence selectionmay carry 2 bits of UCI.

For 1-symbol PUCCH with 1 or 2 bits of payload, if RS and UCI aremultiplexed by a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner in theOFDM symbol, the RS overhead may be 50%. In other words, 6 RS and 6 UCIcarrying resource elements (REs) or subcarriers may be allocated in eachresource block (RB).

At least for 1 symbol short-PUCCH with more than 2 bits, RS and UCI maybe multiplexed in a FDM manner in the OFDM symbol where RS and UCI aremapped on different subcarriers. Since the UCI payload size for shortPUCCH may vary significantly, the RS and UCI multiplexing structure maybe different.

Several DMRS ratios can be considered. In an example, 6 DMRS subcarriersin each RB, thus an overhead of 1/2. In another example, 4 DMRSsubcarriers in each RB, thus an overhead of 1/3. In another example, 3DMRS subcarriers in each RB, thus an overhead of 1/4. In yet anotherexample, 3 DMRS subcarriers in each RB, thus an overhead of 1/6.

In one method, a fixed DMRS ratio may be used for a payload higher than2 bits (e.g., an overhead of 1/3 or 1/4). In another method, theoverhead ratio may be configurable for a UE 102. For the UEmultiplexing, the gNB 160 should configure UEs 102 with the same RSstructure in the same RB.

For a 2-symbol PUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure may be used in eachsymbol. The same RB resources may be used in 2 symbols. To allowfrequency diversity, the 2-symbols may be allocated with different RBs(e.g., in different PUCCH region of a carrier). A 2-symbol NR-PUCCH iscomposed of two 1-symbol NR-PUCCHs conveying the same UCI. The UCIcoding method may depend on the payload size. For UCI payload up to 2bits, the same UCI may be repeated across the symbols using repetitionof a 1-symbol NR-PUCCH. For UCI payload of more than 2 bits, UCI isencoded and the encoded UCI bits are distributed across the symbols.

In another method, a threshold may be defined. For a 2-symbol PUCCH, ifthe UCI payload is smaller than or equal to the threshold, the UCI maybe encoded in a 1-symbol NR PUCCH format, and the same UCI may berepeated across the symbols using repetition of a 1-symbol NR-PUCCH. Fora UCI payload of more than the threshold, the UCI may be encoded and theencoded UCI bits are distributed across the symbols. The threshold maybe a fixed value (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 10 bits). The threshold may beconfigured by higher layer signaling. The threshold may be determinedbased on the number of RBs configured for a 2-symbol PUCCH. For example,if the coding rate, calculated by the UCI payload over the total numberof encoded UCI bits in a 1-symbol PUCCH is smaller than a threshold(e.g. 1/3), the same UCI may be repeated across the symbols usingrepetition of a 1-symbol NR-PUCCH; otherwise, UCI is encoded and theencoded UCI bits are distributed across the symbols. The total number ofencoded UCI bits in the 1-symbol PUCCH is calculated by the numberallocated RBs, the number of UCI carrying subcarriers in each RB, and 2bits in each RE with a Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation.

Furthermore, for a 2-symbol PUCCH, DFT-S-OFDM may also be used. In thiscase, the same RB resources may be allocated for 2-symbols. One symbolmay be used for DMRS, and another symbol is used to carry coded UCIbits. To allow frequency diversity, multiple RB resources at differentregions in a carrier can be allocated for a 2-symbol PUCCH. The DMRS andUCI location may be switched in RBs in different regions.

For a long PUCCH format, the length can be flexible (e.g., in the rangeof 4 to 14 symbols in a slot), and may include multiple slots.

SR format and resource allocation in NR is also described herein. InLTE, SR has only 1 bit. An SR resource is allocated with PUCCH format1a/1b. For an SR-only transmission, the SR is indicated by whether thePUCCH on the SR resource is transmitted or not (i.e., one kind of on/offkeying (OOK) indication).

If the HARQ-ACK is to be reported on PUCCH format 1a/1b, and if a SRshould be reported in the same subframe, the HARQ-ACK bits may bereported on the configured SR resource instead of the HARQ-ACK resource.

In NR, a similar concept may be applied. For example, if there is no SRto be reported, no signal is transmitted on the scheduled SR resource.However, the detailed SR format and resource allocation are notdiscussed yet.

In NR, SR may be 1 bit, or more than 1 bit. If there is more than 1 bit,extra information can be carried by the SR signal (e.g., the priority ofthe UL data request for scheduling). This is very useful if there aremultiple applications with different QoS requirements. For example, aneMBB service that requires high throughput but is not very delaysensitive, or a URLLC service that requires fast transmission andultra-reliability.

Depending on the number of bit for SR, multiple options may besupported. In a first option (Option 1), the SR configuration andresources can be configured via dedicated RRC signaling separately fordifferent applications or traffic types. Thus, multiple SRconfigurations and resources may be configured for a UE 102 (e.g., oneSR configuration and resource for eMBB, and another SR configuration andresource for URLLC).

In this case, there is no need to support multiple bits in a SR. Asingle bit SR may be used. The SR resources for different priorities canhave different formats and resource overheads. Both long PUCCH and shortPUCCH may be configured for the eMBB SR resource. Only a short PUCCHformat should be used for URLLC SR resource to support low latency. ThePUCCH formats and numerologies for different applications can be thesame as or different (e.g., SR resource for URLLC traffic may use ahigher subcarrier spacing (SCS) than the SR resource for eMBB.

The UE 102 may transmit the SR for different traffics on the configuredSR resources. In case of a collision between SR for different traffics,the SR for the traffic with higher priority should be transmitted (e.g.,a SR of URLLC should have higher priority than a SR for eMBB).

In a second option (Option 2), only one SR configuration and resource isconfigured regardless of traffic type. In this case, the SR may be only1 bit for a UE 102 that supports only eMBB. The SR may have multiplebits to indicate the priority of the pending traffic for a UE 102 thatsupports both eMBB and URLLC. To satisfy URLLC requirements, themulti-bit SR resource may be allocated with short periodicity atmini-slot level.

Therefore, the gNB 160 may configure the SR resource for a UE 102. ThegNB 160 may signal the number of bits for a SR in the configuration.

For a SR resource, different PUCCH formats may be supported. In onecase, the SR resource may be configured with a PUCCH format in shortduration. This may potentially provide a fast response for a schedulingrequest.

The SR resource may be configured in different RBs from regular PUCCHresources for a given UE 102. The regular PUCCH format may be differentfrom the PUCCH format for SR resource.

The SR resource may be configured to share the same RBs with regularshort PUCCH resources for a given UE 102. In this case, the SR resourceand regular PUCCH resource should have the same structure (e.g., RSlocation).

A SR resource may be configured with 1-symbol PUCCH format. The SRresource may be on based on sequence selection, or based on RS and UCImultiplexing in a FDM manner. Whether a SR signal is transmitted or noton a SR resource indicates on/off keying (OOK) of SR.

In a case of a sequence-based SR configuration, the set of sequencesassigned to a UE 102 may be determined based on the number of bits in aSR transmission. If there is only 1 bit in a SR, the on/off of SRtransmission can indicate that. Thus, only one sequence is needed for aUE 102. If a set of two sequences are configured for a SR resource,besides on/off keying (OOK) of SR transmission, 1 bit of extrainformation can be carried by SR (e.g., to indicate the priority of apending data (for URLLC or eMBB, for instance)). If a set of foursequences are configured for a SR resource, besides on/off keying (OOK)of SR transmission, 2 bits of extra information can be carried by SR(e.g., to indicate the priority of a pending data (for URLLC or eMBB,for instance)).

In this case, the SR resource may use different RBs than other PUCCHresources. The SR resource may share the same RBs with other PUCCHresources for the same UE 102 or different UEs 102. In a case when thesame RB is shared by SR resources and PUCCH resources of the same UE102, different sets of sequences may be configured for RS and other UCI(e.g., HARQ-ACK).

In a case of RS and UCI multiplexing, since SR only carries one or twobits of payload, it is better to use a short PUCCH structure with 50%DMRS overhead (e.g., 6 RS and 6 UCI REs in each RB). If the UCI symbolsof a SR transmission are modulated by Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK),besides on/off keying (OOK) of SR transmission, 1 bit of extrainformation can be carried by SR (e.g., to indicate the priority of apending data (for URLLC or eMBB, for instance)). If UCI symbols of a SRtransmission is modulated by QPSK, besides on/off keying (OOK) of SRtransmission, 2 bits of extra information can be carried by SR (e.g., toindicate the priority of a pending data (for URLLC or eMBB, forinstance)).

In this case, the SR resource may use different RBs than other PUCCHresources. The SR resource may share the same RBs with other PUCCHresources for the same UE 102 or different UEs 102. In this case, theDMRS structure should be the same for the SR and other PUCCH formats. Ina case when the same RB is shared by SR resources and PUCCH resources ofthe same UE 102, different orthogonal cover codes or sequences may beconfigured on the RS and UCI carrying REs.

For robustness, the SR resource can be configured with 2-symbol PUCCH inshort duration. If so, 1-symbol SR resource structure should be reusedin each symbol, and frequency hopping should be applied to providefrequency diversity for SR transmission. The same SR information may berepeated across the symbols using repetition of a 1-symbol NR-PUCCH.

Due to coverage issues, a PUCCH in short duration may not satisfy therequired performance criteria. Thus, PUCCH in long duration may be usedfor UCI feedback, including SR. Thus, SR resources may also beconfigured with a long PUCCH format. If there is no SR to be reported,no signal is transmitted on the configured SR resource.

For a SR resource, a long PUCCH format with a payload of 1 or 2 bitsshould be used. Furthermore, for a given UE 102, the duration of a longPUCCH configured for the SR should be shorter or the same as a longPUCCH configured for other UCI. If the UCI symbols of a SR transmissionare modulated by BPSK, besides on/off keying (OOK) of SR transmission, 1bit of extra information can be carried by SR (e.g., to indicate thepriority of a pending data (for URLLC or eMBB, for instance)).Similarly, if UCI symbols of a SR transmission is modulated by QPSK,besides on/off keying (OOK) of SR transmission, 2 bits of extrainformation can be carried by SR (e.g., to indicate the priority of apending data (for URLLC or eMBB, for instance)).

Collision between SR and other UCI feedback on PUCCH is also describedherein. If a fixed/unified length of subframe/slot is used for UCI andSR transmissions and, if HARQ-ACK and SR need to be reported in the samesubframe/slot, several methods can be defined to simultaneously reportboth on a PUCCH. For example in LTE, if PUCCH format 1a/1b is used forHARQ-ACK feedback, the HARQ-ACK is reported in the SR PUCCH resourceinstead of the HARQ-ACK PUCCH resource. If PUCCH format 3/4/5 is usedHARQ-ACK feedback, the SR bit is appended to the HARQ-ACK bits, andreported in HARQ-ACK PUCCH resource.

In addition, similar issues of simultaneous SR and HARQ-ACK reportingissue are discussed hereafter. In NR, the PUCCH duration may bedifferent for different UCI feedback. Thus, the length of a SR resourcemay be different from a PUCCH resource for other UCI (e.g., HARQ-ACK).Thus, the SR may be fully overlap or partially overlap with a PUCCH forother UCI, such as HARQ-ACK.

In a full overlap case, the PUCCH for HARQ-ACK has the same length ofthe PUCCH resource for SR, and the SR and HARQ-ACK needs to be reportedin the same symbols. In one method, a joint report may be applied asmentioned above, if the PUCCH for HARQ-ACK supports more than 2 bits,and 1 or 2 bits of SR may be appended to HARQ-ACK bits and stillsatisfies the PUCCH payload limit, the HARQ-ACK and SR bits may bejointed coded and transmitted on the PUCCH resource for HARQ-ACK. Nosignal is transmitted on the SR resource.

However, in some cases, if the HARQ-ACK is reported on a PUCCH thatsupports up to 2 bits, and if multiple bit SR is configured, jointHARQ-ACK and SR reporting on one PUCCH resource may not be possible dueto the limited payload size for a short PUCCH in NR. Assuming bothHARQ-ACK and SR are configured with short PUCCH, several detailed casesare discussed below as examples.

A first case (Case 1) includes 1 or 2 bits of HARQ-ACK, and 1 bit of SR.For a sequence based PUCCH, since the set of sequences for each feedbackbit are pre-defined or configured, there is no way to transmit bothinformation on one PUCCH since there is no sequence space for extrainformation. For RS and UCI multiplexing based PUCCH, the HARQ-ACK canbe reported as the UCI payload on the SR resource, similar to PUCCHformat 1a/1b case in LTE.

A second case (Case 2) includes 1 or 2 bits of HARQ-ACK, and multiplebits of SR payload. For a sequence based PUCCH, if multiple SR bits areused in NR, multiple sequences should be allocated for SR. No extrasequence can be used to combine the HARQ-ACK and SR on either the PUCCHresource for HARQ-ACK or the PUCCH resource for SR. Similarly, for RSand UCI multiplexing based PUCCH, there is no extra modulation or codespace to carry extra bit of information on either the PUCCH resource forHARQ-ACK or the PUCCH resource for SR.

In one method, to accommodate all HARQ-ACK and SR bits, a PUCCH formatadaptation may be applied. A UE 102 may be configured with multiplePUCCH resources with different maximum payload sizes. In a case ofsimultaneous HARQ-ACK and SR transmissions, a PUCCH resource with higherpayload may be used instead of the default PUCCH resource with 1 or 2bits payload.

A PUCCH resource with a higher payload may be configured for HARQ-ACK.The configuration may be by higher layer signaling. The configurationmay be by dynamic physical layer signaling. Thus, the SR may be appendedto the HARQ-ACK bits, then jointly coded and reported on the PUCCHresource with higher payload for HARQ-ACK. No signal is transmitted onthe configured SR resource.

A PUCCH resource with higher payload may be configured for SR. Theconfiguration may be by higher layer signaling. The configuration may beby dynamic physical layer signaling. Thus, the SR may be appended to theHARQ-ACK bits, then jointly coded and reported on the PUCCH resourcewith higher payload for SR. No signal is transmitted on the configuredHARQ-ACK resource.

In both cases, since the PUCCH adaptation only occurs occasionally, theadaptive PUCCH resource with higher payload may be shared by multipleUEs 102, or may be UE specific.

Alternatively, the existing PUCCH format and resource for 1 or 2 bitsmay be adapted to a PUCCH format with higher payload at the same RBresources. For example, in a case of short PUCCH with sequenceselection, a set of sequences should be reserved to carry extra bits forsimultaneous HARQ-ACK and SR transmission. However, reserving sequencesfor extra bits reduces the UE multiplexing capability of the PUCCHresources. In a case of short PUCCH with RS and UCI multiplexing, theDMRS pattern may be adapted from 6 RS and 6 UCI carrying REs in a RB to4 RS and 8 UCI carrying REs in a RB. This allows extra UCI bits to becarried on the PUCCH resource. On the other hand, the PUCCH adaption maycause interference to PUCCH of other UEs 102 multiplexed on the same RBresources.

The PUCCH format adaptation may be applicable to HARQ-ACK PUCCH. Thus,the SR may be appended to the HARQ-ACK bits, then jointly coded andreported on the adapted PUCCH format and resource for HARQ-ACK. And, nosignal is transmitted on the configured SR resource.

The PUCCH format adaptation may be applicable to SR PUCCH. Thus, the SRmay be appended to the HARQ-ACK bits, then jointly coded and reported onthe adapted PUCCH format and resource for SR transmission. And no signalis transmitted on the configured HARQ-ACK resource.

In LTE, all PUCCH has the same duration in time. But in NR, the PUCCHdurations can be same or very different for different reporting. Thus,in partial overlap cases, the scenarios are more complicated because thedifferent PUCCH has different reporting timing associations. In general,it is not possible to joint encode another UCI into an ongoing UCItransmission.

For SR with low priority, it may be assumed that the SR bit is knownbefore a simultaneous PUCCH transmission carrying other UCI occurs.Thus, the SR may be jointly coded with other UCI and transmitted on thePUCCH resource for the other UCI. Or, the SR transmission may bepostponed to a later SR instance.

For SR with high priority, a postponed transmission may not beacceptable to satisfy the latency requirements. Also, the SR may not beavailable when a simultaneous PUCCH transmission carrying other UCIstarts.

Thus, new methods have to be specified in NR for handling collisionsbetween SR and other UCI (e.g., HARQ-ACK). To allow SR transmissiontogether with PUCCH for other UCI, NR may support simultaneous PUCCHtransmission on a single reporting cell. For example, one PUCCH is forSR transmission, another PUCCH is for other UCI transmission. Themultiple PUCCH reporting in one cell can be a UE capability. Thus, a UE102 may inform the gNB 160 of its capability of supporting simultaneousPUCCH reporting in a cell.

Furthermore, the concept can be extended to other UCI transmissions(e.g., one PUCCH for HARQ-ACK and another PUCCH for CSI feedback). Tosimplify the specification, the number of simultaneous PUCCHtransmissions on a PUCCH reporting cell (e.g., a PCell or pSCell) may belimited to two. The feature of multiple PUCCH transmission on a PUCCHreporting cell may be a UE capability. Multiple PUCCH transmission on aPUCCH reporting cell may be configured by higher layer signaling (e.g.,RRC for a UE 102).

If multiple PUCCH transmission on a PUCCH reporting cell is supported orconfigured for a UE 102, the UE 102 may simultaneously transmit multiplePUCCHs with different UCI (e.g., one PUCCH transmission for SR on SRresource, and another PUCCH for HARQ-ACK on HARQ-ACK PUCCH resources).

In a power-limited case, power scaling can be applied on the channelsbased on priority rules. The priority rule may be based on UCI type andthe corresponding traffic priorities. For example, the URLLC trafficshould have higher priority than eMBB traffic. The following order maybe applied from the highest priority to lowest priority: HARQ-ACK forhigh priority traffic (e.g., URLLC); SR with high priority (e.g.,URLLC); HARQ-ACK for other traffic (e.g., eMBB); SR with low priority(e.g., eMBB); CSI for high priority channel (e.g., URLLC); CSI for lowpriority channel (e.g., eMBB); and Uplink data (i.e., PUSCH).

In case of multiple SR bits, the higher priority and lower priority maybe classified by the SR value. For example, if one extra bit is carriedby SR, a SR value of 1 may indicate a higher priority; a SR value of 0may indicate a lower priority. If two extra bits are carried by SR, inone case, a SR value of “11” in binary can indicate a high priority.Other values are classified as low priority. In another case, a SR valueof “11” or “10” in binary can indicate a high priority. Other values areclassified as low priority. The threshold to classify traffic priorityin SR can be fixed in specification or can be configured by the gNB 160with higher layer signaling.

In a power-limited case, the UE 102 should allocate the power to thecontrol channel with highest priority first, then allocate the remainingpower to other uplink control channel or data channel. This principle isapplicable to all PUCCH collisions between SR and HARQ-ACK, betweenHARQ-ACK and/or SR and CSI.

If multiple PUCCH transmission on a PUCCH reporting cell is notsupported or not configured for a UE 102, the UE 102 may only transmitone PUCCH on a PUCCH reporting cell.

If the PUCCH for HARQ-ACK supports more than 2 bits, and the UE 102 canappend the SR bits to HARQ-ACK in the same PUCCH resource, the HARQ-ACKand SR may be jointly reported on the HARQ-ACK PUCCH resource.Otherwise, the same priority rule above may be applied to determinewhich control information is transmitted and which channel is dropped.For example, if SR with high priority traffic request (e.g., URLLC)collides with a HARQ-ACK feedback for low priority traffic (e.g., eMBB),the SR with high priority traffic request should be transmitted, and theHARQ-ACK feedback for low priority traffic may be dropped. If SR withlow priority traffic request (e.g., eMBB) collides with a HARQ-ACKfeedback for low priority traffic (e.g., eMBB), the SR with low prioritytraffic request should be dropped, and the HARQ-ACK feedback for lowpriority traffic may be transmitted.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 148 to the one ormore receivers 120. For example, the UE operations module 124 may informthe receiver(s) 120 when to receive retransmissions.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 138 to thedemodulator 114. For example, the UE operations module 124 may informthe demodulator 114 of a modulation pattern anticipated fortransmissions from the gNB 160.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 136 to the decoder108. For example, the UE operations module 124 may inform the decoder108 of an anticipated encoding for transmissions from the gNB 160.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 142 to the encoder150. The information 142 may include data to be encoded and/orinstructions for encoding. For example, the UE operations module 124 mayinstruct the encoder 150 to encode transmission data 146 and/or otherinformation 142. The other information 142 may include PDSCH HARQ-ACKinformation.

The encoder 150 may encode transmission data 146 and/or otherinformation 142 provided by the UE operations module 124. For example,encoding the data 146 and/or other information 142 may involve errordetection and/or correction coding, mapping data to space, time and/orfrequency resources for transmission, multiplexing, etc. The encoder 150may provide encoded data 152 to the modulator 154.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 144 to themodulator 154. For example, the UE operations module 124 may inform themodulator 154 of a modulation type (e.g., constellation mapping) to beused for transmissions to the gNB 160. The modulator 154 may modulatethe encoded data 152 to provide one or more modulated signals 156 to theone or more transmitters 158.

The UE operations module 124 may provide information 140 to the one ormore transmitters 158. This information 140 may include instructions forthe one or more transmitters 158. For example, the UE operations module124 may instruct the one or more transmitters 158 when to transmit asignal to the gNB 160. For instance, the one or more transmitters 158may transmit during a UL subframe. The one or more transmitters 158 mayupconvert and transmit the modulated signal(s) 156 to one or more gNBs160.

Each of the one or more gNBs 160 may include one or more transceivers176, one or more demodulators 172, one or more decoders 166, one or moreencoders 109, one or more modulators 113, a data buffer 162 and a gNBoperations module 182. For example, one or more reception and/ortransmission paths may be implemented in a gNB 160. For convenience,only a single transceiver 176, decoder 166, demodulator 172, encoder 109and modulator 113 are illustrated in the gNB 160, though multipleparallel elements (e.g., transceivers 176, decoders 166, demodulators172, encoders 109 and modulators 113) may be implemented.

The transceiver 176 may include one or more receivers 178 and one ormore transmitters 117. The one or more receivers 178 may receive signalsfrom the UE 102 using one or more antennas 180 a-n. For example, thereceiver 178 may receive and downconvert signals to produce one or morereceived signals 174. The one or more received signals 174 may beprovided to a demodulator 172. The one or more transmitters 117 maytransmit signals to the UE 102 using one or more antennas 180 a-n. Forexample, the one or more transmitters 117 may upconvert and transmit oneor more modulated signals 115.

The demodulator 172 may demodulate the one or more received signals 174to produce one or more demodulated signals 170. The one or moredemodulated signals 170 may be provided to the decoder 166. The gNB 160may use the decoder 166 to decode signals. The decoder 166 may produceone or more decoded signals 164, 168. For example, a first eNB-decodedsignal 164 may comprise received payload data, which may be stored in adata buffer 162. A second eNB-decoded signal 168 may comprise overheaddata and/or control data. For example, the second eNB-decoded signal 168may provide data (e.g., PDSCH HARQ-ACK information) that may be used bythe gNB operations module 182 to perform one or more operations.

In general, the gNB operations module 182 may enable the gNB 160 tocommunicate with the one or more UEs 102. The gNB operations module 182may include one or more of a gNB short PUCCH and SR transmission module194. The gNB short PUCCH module 194 may implement short PUCCH formatsand SR transmission for 5G NR as described herein.

The gNB operations module 182 may provide information 188 to thedemodulator 172. For example, the gNB operations module 182 may informthe demodulator 172 of a modulation pattern anticipated fortransmissions from the UE(s) 102.

The gNB operations module 182 may provide information 186 to the decoder166. For example, the gNB operations module 182 may inform the decoder166 of an anticipated encoding for transmissions from the UE(s) 102.

The gNB operations module 182 may provide information 101 to the encoder109. The information 101 may include data to be encoded and/orinstructions for encoding. For example, the gNB operations module 182may instruct the encoder 109 to encode information 101, includingtransmission data 105.

The encoder 109 may encode transmission data 105 and/or otherinformation included in the information 101 provided by the gNBoperations module 182. For example, encoding the data 105 and/or otherinformation included in the information 101 may involve error detectionand/or correction coding, mapping data to space, time and/or frequencyresources for transmission, multiplexing, etc. The encoder 109 mayprovide encoded data 111 to the modulator 113. The transmission data 105may include network data to be relayed to the UE 102.

The gNB operations module 182 may provide information 103 to themodulator 113. This information 103 may include instructions for themodulator 113. For example, the gNB operations module 182 may inform themodulator 113 of a modulation type (e.g., constellation mapping) to beused for transmissions to the UE(s) 102. The modulator 113 may modulatethe encoded data 111 to provide one or more modulated signals 115 to theone or more transmitters 117.

The gNB operations module 182 may provide information 192 to the one ormore transmitters 117. This information 192 may include instructions forthe one or more transmitters 117. For example, the gNB operations module182 may instruct the one or more transmitters 117 when to (or when notto) transmit a signal to the UE(s) 102. The one or more transmitters 117may upconvert and transmit the modulated signal(s) 115 to one or moreUEs 102.

It should be noted that a DL subframe may be transmitted from the gNB160 to one or more UEs 102 and that a UL subframe may be transmittedfrom one or more UEs 102 to the gNB 160. Furthermore, both the gNB 160and the one or more UEs 102 may transmit data in a standard specialsubframe.

It should also be noted that one or more of the elements or partsthereof included in the eNB(s) 160 and UE(s) 102 may be implemented inhardware. For example, one or more of these elements or parts thereofmay be implemented as a chip, circuitry or hardware components, etc. Itshould also be noted that one or more of the functions or methodsdescribed herein may be implemented in and/or performed using hardware.For example, one or more of the methods described herein may beimplemented in and/or realized using a chipset, an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) orintegrated circuit, etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a resource grid for thedownlink. The resource grid illustrated in FIG. 2 may be utilized insome implementations of the systems and methods disclosed herein. Moredetail regarding the resource grid is given in connection with FIG. 1.

In FIG. 2, one downlink subframe 269 may include two downlink slots 283.N^(DL) _(RB) is downlink bandwidth configuration of the serving cell,expressed in multiples of N^(RB) _(sc), where N^(RB) _(sc) is a resourceblock 289 size in the frequency domain expressed as a number ofsubcarriers, and N^(DL) _(symb) is the number of OFDM symbols 287 in adownlink slot 283. A resource block 289 may include a number of resourceelements (RE) 291.

For a PCell, N^(DL)RB is broadcast as a part of system information. Foran SCell (including an licensed assisted access (LAA) SCell), N^(DL)_(RB) is configured by a RRC message dedicated to a UE 102. For PDSCHmapping, the available RE 291 may be the RE 291 whose index 1 fulfils1≥1_(data,start) and/or 1_(data,end)≥1 in a subframe.

In the downlink, the OFDM access scheme with cyclic prefix (CP) may beemployed, which may be also referred to as CP-OFDM. In the downlink,PDCCH, EPDCCH, PDSCH and the like may be transmitted. A downlink radioframe may consist of multiple pairs of downlink resource blocks (RBs)which is also referred to as physical resource blocks (PRBs). Thedownlink RB pair is a unit for assigning downlink radio resources,defined by a predetermined bandwidth (RB bandwidth) and a time slot. Thedownlink RB pair consists of two downlink RBs that are continuous in thetime domain.

The downlink RB consists of twelve sub-carriers in frequency domain andseven (for normal CP) or six (for extended CP) OFDM symbols in timedomain. A region defined by one sub-carrier in frequency domain and oneOFDM symbol in time domain is referred to as a resource element (RE) andis uniquely identified by the index pair (k,l) in a slot, where k and lare indices in the frequency and time domains, respectively. Whiledownlink subframes in one component carrier (CC) are discussed herein,downlink subframes are defined for each CC and downlink subframes aresubstantially in synchronization with each other among CCs.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of a resource grid for theuplink. The resource grid illustrated in FIG. 3 may be utilized in someimplementations of the systems and methods disclosed herein. More detailregarding the resource grid is given in connection with FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, one uplink subframe 369 may include two uplink slots 383.N^(UL) _(RB) is uplink bandwidth configuration of the serving cell,expressed in multiples of N^(RB) _(sc), where N^(RB) _(sc) is a resourceblock 389 size in the frequency domain expressed as a number ofsubcarriers, and N^(UL) _(symb) is the number of SC-FDMA symbols 393 inan uplink slot 383. A resource block 389 may include a number ofresource elements (RE) 391.

For a PCell, N^(UL) _(RB) is broadcast as a part of system information.For an SCell (including an LAA SCell), N^(UL) _(RB) is configured by aRRC message dedicated to a UE 102.

In the uplink, in addition to CP-OFDM, a Single-Carrier FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) access scheme may be employed, whichis also referred to as Discrete Fourier Transform-Spreading OFDM(DFT-S-OFDM). In the uplink, PUCCH, PDSCH, PRACH and the like may betransmitted. An uplink radio frame may consist of multiple pairs ofuplink resource blocks. The uplink RB pair is a unit for assigninguplink radio resources, defined by a predetermined bandwidth (RBbandwidth) and a time slot. The uplink RB pair consists of two uplinkRBs that are continuous in the time domain.

The uplink RB may consist of twelve sub-carriers in frequency domain andseven (for normal CP) or six (for extended CP) OFDM/DFT-S-OFDM symbolsin time domain. A region defined by one sub-carrier in the frequencydomain and one OFDM/DFT-S-OFDM symbol in the time domain is referred toas a RE and is uniquely identified by the index pair (k,l) in a slot,where k and l are indices in the frequency and time domainsrespectively. While uplink subframes in one component carrier (CC) arediscussed herein, uplink subframes are defined for each CC.

FIG. 4 shows examples of several numerologies 401. The numerology #1 401a may be a basic numerology (e.g., a reference numerology). For example,a RE 495 a of the basic numerology 401 a may be defined with subcarrierspacing 405 a of 15 kHz in frequency domain and 2048 Ts+CP length (e.g.,160 Ts or 144 Ts) in time domain (i.e., symbol length #1 403 a), whereTs denotes a baseband sampling time unit defined as 1/(15000*2048)seconds. For the i-th numerology, the subcarrier spacing 405 may beequal to 15*2^(i) and the effective OFDM symbol length 2048*2^(−i)*Ts.It may cause the symbol length is 2048*2^(−i)*Ts+CP length (e.g.,160*2^(−i)*Ts or 144*2^(−i)*Ts). In other words, the subcarrier spacingof the i+1-th numerology is a double of the one for the i-th numerology,and the symbol length of the i+1-th numerology is a half of the one forthe i-th numerology. FIG. 4 shows four numerologies, but the system maysupport another number of numerologies. Furthermore, the system does nothave to support all of the 0-th to the I-th numerologies, i=0, 1, . . ., I.

FIG. 5 shows examples of subframe structures for the numerologies 501that are shown in FIG. 4. Given that a slot 283 includes N^(DL) _(symb)(or N^(UL) _(symb))=7 symbols, the slot length of the i+1-th numerology501 is a half of the one for the i-th numerology 501, and eventually thenumber of slots 283 in a subframe (i.e., 1 ms) becomes double. It may benoted that a radio frame may include 10 subframes, and the radio framelength may be equal to 10 ms.

FIG. 6 shows examples of slots 683 and sub-slots 607. If a sub-slot 607is not configured by higher layer, the UE 102 and the eNB/gNB 160 mayonly use a slot 683 as a scheduling unit. More specifically, a giventransport block may be allocated to a slot 683. If the sub-slot 607 isconfigured by higher layer, the UE 102 and the eNB/gNB 160 may use thesub-slot 607 as well as the slot 683. The sub-slot 607 may include oneor more OFDM symbols. The maximum number of OFDM symbols that constitutethe sub-slot 607 may be N^(DL) _(symb)−1 (or N^(UL) _(symb)−1).

The sub-slot length may be configured by higher layer signaling.Alternatively, the sub-slot length may be indicated by a physical layercontrol channel (e.g., by DCI format).

The sub-slot 607 may start at any symbol within a slot 683 unless itcollides with a control channel. There could be restrictions ofmini-slot length based on restrictions on starting position. Forexample, the sub-slot 607 with the length of N^(DL) _(symb)−1 (or N^(UL)_(symb)−1) may start at the second symbol in a slot 683. The startingposition of a sub-slot 607 may be indicated by a physical layer controlchannel (e.g., by DCI format). Alternatively, the starting position of asub-slot 607 may be derived from information (e.g., search space index,blind decoding candidate index, frequency and/or time resource indices,Physical Resource Block (PRB) index, a control channel element index,control channel element aggregation level, an antenna port index, etc.)of the physical layer control channel which schedules the data in theconcerned sub-slot 607.

In cases when the sub-slot 607 is configured, a given transport blockmay be allocated to either a slot 683, a sub-slot 607, aggregatedsub-slots 607 or aggregated sub-slot(s) 607 and slot 683. This unit mayalso be a unit for HARQ-ACK bit generation.

FIG. 7 shows examples of scheduling timelines 709. For a normal DLscheduling timeline 709 a, DL control channels are mapped the initialpart of a slot 783 a. The DL control channels 711 schedule DL sharedchannels 713 a in the same slot 783 a. HARQ-ACKs for the DL sharedchannels 713 a (i.e., HARQ-ACKs each of which indicates whether or nottransport block in each DL shared channel 713 a is detectedsuccessfully) are reported via UL control channels 715 a in a later slot783 b. In this instance, a given slot 783 may contain either one of DLtransmission and UL transmission.

For a normal UL scheduling timeline 709 b, DL control channels 711 b aremapped the initial part of a slot 783 c. The DL control channels 711 bschedule UL shared channels 717 a in a later slot 783 d. For thesecases, the association timing (time shift) between the DL slot 783 c andthe UL slot 783 d may be fixed or configured by higher layer signaling.Alternatively, it may be indicated by a physical layer control channel(e.g., the DL assignment DCI format, the UL grant DCI format, or anotherDCI format such as UE-common signaling DCI format which may be monitoredin common search space).

For a self-contained base DL scheduling timeline 709 c, DL controlchannels 711 c are mapped to the initial part of a slot 783 e. The DLcontrol channels 711 c schedule DL shared channels 713 b in the sameslot 783 e. HARQ-ACKs for the DL shared channels 713 b are reported inUL control channels 715 b, which are mapped at the ending part of theslot 783 e.

For a self-contained base UL scheduling timeline 709 d, DL controlchannels 711 d are mapped to the initial part of a slot 783 f. The DLcontrol channels 711 d schedule UL shared channels 717 b in the sameslot 783 f. For these cases, the slot 783 f may contain DL and ULportions, and there may be a guard period between the DL and ULtransmissions.

The use of a self-contained slot may be upon a configuration ofself-contained slot. Alternatively, the use of a self-contained slot maybe upon a configuration of the sub-slot. Yet alternatively, the use of aself-contained slot may be upon a configuration of shortened physicalchannel (e.g., PDSCH, PUSCH, PUCCH, etc.).

FIG. 8 shows examples of DL control channel monitoring regions. One ormore sets of PRB(s) may be configured for DL control channel monitoring.In other words, a control resource set is, in the frequency domain, aset of PRBs within which the UE 102 attempts to blindly decode downlinkcontrol information, where the PRBs may or may not be frequencycontiguous, a UE 102 may have one or more control resource sets, and oneDCI message may be located within one control resource set. In thefrequency-domain, a PRB is the resource unit size (which may or may notinclude DMRS) for a control channel. A DL shared channel may start at alater OFDM symbol than the one(s) which carries the detected DL controlchannel. Alternatively, the DL shared channel may start at (or earlierthan) an OFDM symbol than the last OFDM symbol which carries thedetected DL control channel. In other words, dynamic reuse of at leastpart of resources in the control resource sets for data for the same ora different UE 102, at least in the frequency domain may be supported.

FIG. 9 shows examples of DL control channel which consists of more thanone control channel elements. When the control resource set spansmultiple OFDM symbols, a control channel candidate may be mapped tomultiple OFDM symbols or may be mapped to a single OFDM symbol. One DLcontrol channel element may be mapped on REs defined by a single PRB anda single OFDM symbol. If more than one DL control channel elements areused for a single DL control channel transmission, DL control channelelement aggregation may be performed.

The number of aggregated DL control channel elements is referred to asDL control channel element aggregation level. The DL control channelelement aggregation level may be 1 or 2 to the power of an integer. ThegNB 160 may inform a UE 102 of which control channel candidates aremapped to each subset of OFDM symbols in the control resource set. Ifone DL control channel is mapped to a single OFDM symbol and does notspan multiple OFDM symbols, the DL control channel element aggregationis performed within an OFDM symbol, namely multiple DL control channelelements within an OFDM symbol are aggregated. Otherwise, DL controlchannel elements in different OFDM symbols can be aggregated.

FIG. 10 shows examples of UL control channel structures. UL controlchannel may be mapped on REs which are defined a PRB and a slot infrequency and time domains, respectively. This UL control channel may bereferred to as a long format (or just the 1st format). UL controlchannels may be mapped on REs on a limited OFDM symbols in time domain.This may be referred to as a short format (or just the 2nd format). TheUL control channels with a short format may be mapped on REs within asingle PRB. Alternatively, the UL control channels with a short formatmay be mapped on REs within multiple PRBs. For example, interlacedmapping may be applied, namely the UL control channel may be mapped toevery N PRBs (e.g. 5 or 10) within a system bandwidth.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of an gNB1160. The gNB 1160 may include a higher layer processor 1123, a DLtransmitter 1125, a UL receiver 1133, and one or more antenna 1131. TheDL transmitter 1125 may include a PDCCH transmitter 1127 and a PDSCHtransmitter 1129. The UL receiver 1133 may include a PUCCH receiver 1135and a PUSCH receiver 1137.

The higher layer processor 1123 may manage physical layer's behaviors(the DL transmitter's and the UL receiver's behaviors) and providehigher layer parameters to the physical layer. The higher layerprocessor 1123 may obtain transport blocks from the physical layer. Thehigher layer processor 1123 may send/acquire higher layer messages suchas an RRC message and MAC message to/from a UE's higher layer. Thehigher layer processor 1123 may provide the PDSCH transmitter transportblocks and provide the PDCCH transmitter transmission parameters relatedto the transport blocks.

The DL transmitter 1125 may multiplex downlink physical channels anddownlink physical signals (including reservation signal) and transmitthem via transmission antennas 1131. The UL receiver 1133 may receivemultiplexed uplink physical channels and uplink physical signals viareceiving antennas 1131 and de-multiplex them. The PUCCH receiver 1135may provide the higher layer processor 1123 UCI. The PUSCH receiver 1137may provide the higher layer processor 1123 received transport blocks.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a UE 1202.The UE 1202 may include a higher layer processor 1223, a UL transmitter1251, a DL receiver 1243, and one or more antenna 1231. The ULtransmitter 1251 may include a PUCCH transmitter 1253 and a PUSCHtransmitter 1255. The DL receiver 1243 may include a PDCCH receiver 1245and a PDSCH receiver 1247.

The higher layer processor 1223 may manage physical layer's behaviors(the UL transmitter's and the DL receiver's behaviors) and providehigher layer parameters to the physical layer. The higher layerprocessor 1223 may obtain transport blocks from the physical layer. Thehigher layer processor 1223 may send/acquire higher layer messages suchas an RRC message and MAC message to/from a UE's higher layer. Thehigher layer processor 1223 may provide the PUSCH transmitter transportblocks and provide the PUCCH transmitter 1253 UCI.

The DL receiver 1243 may receive multiplexed downlink physical channelsand downlink physical signals via receiving antennas 1231 andde-multiplex them. The PDCCH receiver 1245 may provide the higher layerprocessor 1223 DCI. The PDSCH receiver 1247 may provide the higher layerprocessor 1223 received transport blocks.

It should be noted that names of physical channels described herein areexamples. The other names such as “NRPDCCH, NRPDSCH, NRPUCCH andNRPUSCH”, “new Generation-(G)PDCCH, GPDSCH, GPUCCH and GPUSCH” or thelike can be used.

FIG. 13 illustrates various components that may be utilized in a UE1302. The UE 1302 described in connection with FIG. 13 may beimplemented in accordance with the UE 102 described in connection withFIG. 1. The UE 1302 includes a processor 1303 that controls operation ofthe UE 1302. The processor 1303 may also be referred to as a centralprocessing unit (CPU). Memory 1305, which may include read-only memory(ROM), random access memory (RAM), a combination of the two or any typeof device that may store information, provides instructions 1307 a anddata 1309 a to the processor 1303. A portion of the memory 1305 may alsoinclude non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). Instructions 1307 band data 1309 b may also reside in the processor 1303. Instructions 1307b and/or data 1309 b loaded into the processor 1303 may also includeinstructions 1307 a and/or data 1309 a from memory 1305 that were loadedfor execution or processing by the processor 1303. The instructions 1307b may be executed by the processor 1303 to implement the methodsdescribed above.

The UE 1302 may also include a housing that contains one or moretransmitters 1358 and one or more receivers 1320 to allow transmissionand reception of data. The transmitter(s) 1358 and receiver(s) 1320 maybe combined into one or more transceivers 1318. One or more antennas1322 a-n are attached to the housing and electrically coupled to thetransceiver 1318.

The various components of the UE 1302 are coupled together by a bussystem 1311, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus and astatus signal bus, in addition to a data bus. However, for the sake ofclarity, the various buses are illustrated in FIG. 13 as the bus system1311. The UE 1302 may also include a digital signal processor (DSP) 1313for use in processing signals. The UE 1302 may also include acommunications interface 1315 that provides user access to the functionsof the UE 1302. The UE 1302 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a functional blockdiagram rather than a listing of specific components.

FIG. 14 illustrates various components that may be utilized in a gNB1460. The gNB 1460 described in connection with FIG. 14 may beimplemented in accordance with the gNB 160 described in connection withFIG. 1. The gNB 1460 includes a processor 1403 that controls operationof the gNB 1460. The processor 1403 may also be referred to as a centralprocessing unit (CPU). Memory 1405, which may include read-only memory(ROM), random access memory (RAM), a combination of the two or any typeof device that may store information, provides instructions 1407 a anddata 1409 a to the processor 1403. A portion of the memory 1405 may alsoinclude non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). Instructions 1407 band data 1409 b may also reside in the processor 1403. Instructions 1407b and/or data 1409 b loaded into the processor 1403 may also includeinstructions 1407 a and/or data 1409 a from memory 1405 that were loadedfor execution or processing by the processor 1403. The instructions 1407b may be executed by the processor 1403 to implement the methodsdescribed above.

The gNB 1460 may also include a housing that contains one or moretransmitters 1417 and one or more receivers 1478 to allow transmissionand reception of data. The transmitter(s) 1417 and receiver(s) 1478 maybe combined into one or more transceivers 1476. One or more antennas1480 a-n are attached to the housing and electrically coupled to thetransceiver 1476.

The various components of the gNB 1460 are coupled together by a bussystem 1411, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus and astatus signal bus, in addition to a data bus. However, for the sake ofclarity, the various buses are illustrated in FIG. 14 as the bus system1411. The gNB 1460 may also include a digital signal processor (DSP)1413 for use in processing signals. The gNB 1460 may also include acommunications interface 1415 that provides user access to the functionsof the gNB 1460. The gNB 1460 illustrated in FIG. 14 is a functionalblock diagram rather than a listing of specific components.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a UE 1502in which short PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR may beimplemented. The UE 1502 includes transmit means 1558, receive means1520 and control means 1524. The transmit means 1558, receive means 1520and control means 1524 may be configured to perform one or more of thefunctions described in connection with FIG. 1 above. FIG. 13 aboveillustrates one example of a concrete apparatus structure of FIG. 15.Other various structures may be implemented to realize one or more ofthe functions of FIG. 1. For example, a DSP may be realized by software.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating one implementation of a gNB 1660in which short PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR may beimplemented. The gNB 1660 includes transmit means 1617, receive means1678 and control means 1682. The transmit means 1617, receive means 1678and control means 1682 may be configured to perform one or more of thefunctions described in connection with FIG. 1 above. FIG. 14 aboveillustrates one example of a concrete apparatus structure of FIG. 16.Other various structures may be implemented to realize one or more ofthe functions of FIG. 1. For example, a DSP may be realized by software.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1700 for implementingshort PUCCH formats and SR transmission for 5G NR. The method 1700 maybe implemented by a UE 102. The UE 102 may determine 1702 uplink controlchannel (PUCCH) formats and configurations for a scheduling request (SR)and other uplink control information (UCI) based on a signaling from abase station (gNB) 160. For example, the PUCCH format and configurationmay include at least a short PUCCH format and a long PUCCH format. Theshort PUCCH format and long PUCCH format may have the same or differentwaveforms and/or numerologies.

In an implementation, the resource for a SR transmission may be based ona PUCCH in short duration with one or two symbols. A set of sequencesmay be configured on a SR resource to carry multiple SR bits. Ademodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern with 6 RS and 6 UCIcarrying resource elements may be used for the SR resource. In a2-symbol SR resource, one symbol SR format may be repeated with the sameinformation in two symbols with frequency diversity.

In another implementation, the resource for a SR transmission isconfigured on a PUCCH in long duration.

The UE 102 may determine 1704 whether simultaneous PUCCH transmission issupported or configured for UCI feedback. If simultaneous PUCCHtransmission is supported, the UE 102 may simultaneously transmitmultiple PUCCHs with different UCI (e.g., one PUCCH transmission for SRon the SR resource, and another PUCCH for HARQ-ACK on HARQ-ACK PUCCHresources).

The UE 102 may determine 1706 the resource of the control channel forUCI feedback. If the UE 102 is power limited, the UE 102 may performpower scaling on simultaneous uplink control channels based on apriority rule. A priority order from highest to lowest may be asfollows: HARQ-ACK for higher priority traffic, SR for higher prioritytraffic, HARQ-ACK for lower priority traffic, SR for lower prioritytraffic, CSI for higher priority traffic, and CSI for lower prioritytraffic. If the UE 102 is power limited, the UE 102 may allocate powerto a control channel with highest priority first, then allocatesremaining power to another uplink control channel or data channel.

If simultaneous PUCCH transmission is not supported or not configuredfor uplink control information (UCI) feedback, the UE 102 may transmitonly one PUCCH on a PUCCH reporting cell. If the PUCCH for HARQ-ACKsupports more than 2 bits, and can append SR bits to HARQ-ACK, theHARQ-ACK and SR may be jointly reported on a HARQ-ACK PUCCH resource. Ifthe PUCCH for HARQ-ACK supports up to 2 bits, and multiple SR bits arereported, the UE 102 may choose a different PUCCH resource and/or formatwith higher payload to jointly report HARQ-ACK and SR on the PUCCHresource and/or format with higher payload.

If joint SR and HARQ-ACK on a single PUCCH is not possible, the UE 102may transmit only one PUCCH based on the priority rule, with priorityorder from highest to lowest is as follows: HARQ-ACK for higher prioritytraffic, SR for higher priority traffic, HARQ-ACK for lower prioritytraffic, SR for lower priority traffic, CSI for higher priority traffic,and CSI for lower priority traffic. If SR with a high priority trafficrequest (e.g., URLLC) collides with a HARQ-ACK feedback for low prioritytraffic (e.g., eMBB), the SR with the high priority traffic request maybe transmitted, and the HARQ-ACK feedback for the low priority trafficmay be dropped. If SR with a low priority traffic request (e.g., eMBB)collides with a HARQ-ACK feedback for low priority traffic (e.g., eMBB),the SR with the low priority traffic request may be dropped, and theHARQ-ACK feedback for low priority traffic may be transmitted.

The UE 102 may transmit 1708 UCI on the selected channel.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating another method 1800 forimplementing a short PUCCH design for 5G NR. The method 1800 may beimplemented by a base station (gNB) 160. The gNB 160 may determine 1802uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats and configurations for ascheduling request (SR) and other uplink control information (UCI). Thismay be accomplished as described in connection with FIG. 17. Forexample, the PUCCH format and configuration may include at least a shortPUCCH format and a long PUCCH format. The short PUCCH format and longPUCCH format may have the same or different waveforms and/ornumerologies.

In an implementation, the resource for a SR transmission may be based ona PUCCH in short duration with one or two symbols. A set of sequencesmay be configured on a SR resource to carry multiple SR bits. Ademodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern with 6 RS and 6 UCIcarrying resource elements may be used for the SR resource. In a2-symbol SR resource, one symbol SR format may be repeated with the sameinformation in two symbols with frequency diversity.

In another implementation, the resource for a SR transmission isconfigured on a PUCCH in long duration. The determined PUCCH formats andresource may include the configured PUCCH resource for SR or HARQ-ACK,and an adaptive PUCCH format and resource with higher payload in case ofjoint SR and other UCI reporting.

The gNB 160 may receive 1804 UCI on a selected channel. A controlchannel used for uplink control information (UCI) feedback and aresource of the control channel for UCI feedback may be determined by aUE 102 based on signaling from the gNB 160. The selected channel may bea configured PUCCH resource for SR or HARQ-ACK. The selected channel maybe an adaptive PUCCH channel with higher payload in case of joint SR andother UCI reporting. The gNB 160 may try to decode the received signalwith different hypotheses, and determine the actual PUCCH channelcarrying the SR and/or other UCI.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method 1900 of auser equipment (UE) 102. The UE 102 may determine 1902 a physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format. The UE 102 maytransmit 1904 uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCH resourceusing the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH,1-symbol PUCCH structure may be used in each symbol, and if the UCI isup to 2 bits, the UCI may be repeated in two symbols using repetition ofa 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol short PUCCH, and ifthe UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI may be jointly encoded, and theencoded UCI bits may be distributed across two symbols.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method 2000 of abase station apparatus (gNB) 160. The gNB 160 may determine 2002 aphysical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format. ThegNB 160 may receive 2004 uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCHresource using the PUCCH format. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol shortPUCCH, 1-symbol PUCCH structure may be used in each symbol, and if theUCI is up to 2 bits, the UCI may be repeated in two symbols usingrepetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH. If the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol shortPUCCH, and if the UCI is more than 2 bits, the UCI may be jointlyencoded, and the encoded UCI bits may be distributed across two symbols.

The term “computer-readable medium” refers to any available medium thatcan be accessed by a computer or a processor. The term“computer-readable medium,” as used herein, may denote a computer-and/or processor-readable medium that is non-transitory and tangible. Byway of example, and not limitation, a computer-readable orprocessor-readable medium may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a computer or processor. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.

It should be noted that one or more of the methods described herein maybe implemented in and/or performed using hardware. For example, one ormore of the methods described herein may be implemented in and/orrealized using a chipset, an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) or integrated circuit,etc.

Each of the methods disclosed herein comprises one or more steps oractions for achieving the described method. The method steps and/oractions may be interchanged with one another and/or combined into asingle step without departing from the scope of the claims. In otherwords, unless a specific order of steps or actions is required forproper operation of the method that is being described, the order and/oruse of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departingfrom the scope of the claims.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the preciseconfiguration and components illustrated above. Various modifications,changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the systems, methods, and apparatus described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims.

A program running on the gNB 160 or the UE 102 according to thedescribed systems and methods is a program (a program for causing acomputer to operate) that controls a CPU and the like in such a manneras to realize the function according to the described systems andmethods. Then, the information that is handled in these apparatuses istemporarily stored in a RAM while being processed. Thereafter, theinformation is stored in various ROMs or HDDs, and whenever necessary,is read by the CPU to be modified or written. As a recording medium onwhich the program is stored, among a semiconductor (for example, a ROM,a nonvolatile memory card, and the like), an optical storage medium (forexample, a DVD, a MO, a MD, a CD, a BD, and the like), a magneticstorage medium (for example, a magnetic tape, a flexible disk, and thelike), and the like, any one may be possible. Furthermore, in somecases, the function according to the described systems and methodsdescribed above is realized by running the loaded program, and inaddition, the function according to the described systems and methods isrealized in conjunction with an operating system or other applicationprograms, based on an instruction from the program.

Furthermore, in a case where the programs are available on the market,the program stored on a portable recording medium can be distributed orthe program can be transmitted to a server computer that connectsthrough a network such as the Internet. In this case, a storage devicein the server computer also is included. Furthermore, some or all of thegNB 160 and the UE 102 according to the systems and methods describedabove may be realized as an LSI that is a typical integrated circuit.Each functional block of the gNB 160 and the UE 102 may be individuallybuilt into a chip, and some or all functional blocks may be integratedinto a chip. Furthermore, a technique of the integrated circuit is notlimited to the LSI, and an integrated circuit for the functional blockmay be realized with a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor.Furthermore, if with advances in a semiconductor technology, atechnology of an integrated circuit that substitutes for the LSIappears, it is also possible to use an integrated circuit to which thetechnology applies.

Moreover, each functional block or various features of the base stationdevice and the terminal device used in each of the aforementionedembodiments may be implemented or executed by a circuitry, which istypically an integrated circuit or a plurality of integrated circuits.The circuitry designed to execute the functions described in the presentspecification may comprise a general-purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific or general applicationintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), orother programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, ora discrete hardware component, or a combination thereof. Thegeneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or alternatively, theprocessor may be a conventional processor, a controller, amicrocontroller or a state machine. The general-purpose processor oreach circuit described above may be configured by a digital circuit ormay be configured by an analogue circuit. Further, when a technology ofmaking into an integrated circuit superseding integrated circuits at thepresent time appears due to advancement of a semiconductor technology,the integrated circuit by this technology is also able to be used.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor;and a memory in electronic communication with the processor, whereininstructions stored in the memory are executable to: determine aphysical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format; andtransmit uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCH resource usingthe PUCCH format, wherein in a case where the PUCCH format is a 2-symbolPUCCH and is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols usingrepetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH, and in a case where the PUCCH format isa 2-symbol PUCCH and is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded,the encoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols, and if the UCIincludes HARQ-ACK and scheduling request (SR), SR bits are appended toHARQ-ACK bits and the HARQ-ACK bits and the SR bits are jointly encoded.2. A base station, comprising: a processor; and a memory in electroniccommunication with the processor, wherein instructions stored in thememory are executable to: determine a physical uplink control channel(PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format; and receive uplink controlinformation (UCI) on the PUCCH resource using the PUCCH format, whereinin a case where the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol PUCCH and is up to 2bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbols using repetition of a 1-symbolPUCCH, and in a case where the PUCCH format is a 2-symbol PUCCH and ismore than 2 bits, the UCI is jointly encoded, the encoded UCI bits aredistributed across two symbols, and if the UCI includes HARQ-ACK andscheduling request (SR), SR bits are appended to HARQ-ACK bits and theHARQ-ACK bits and the SR bits are jointly encoded.
 3. A method for auser equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a physicaluplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and a PUCCH format; andtransmitting uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCH resourceusing the PUCCH format, wherein in a case where the PUCCH format is a2-symbol PUCCH and is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated in two symbolsusing repetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH, and in a case where the PUCCHformat is a 2-symbol PUCCH and is more than 2 bits, the UCI is jointlyencoded, the encoded UCI bits are distributed across two symbols, and ifthe UCI includes HARQ-ACK and scheduling request (SR), SR bits areappended to HARQ-ACK bits and the HARQ-ACK bits and the SR bits arejointly encoded.
 4. A method for a base station, the method comprising:determining a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and aPUCCH format; and receiving uplink control information (UCI) on thePUCCH resource using the PUCCH format, wherein in a case where the PUCCHformat is a 2-symbol PUCCH and is up to 2 bits, the UCI is repeated intwo symbols using repetition of a 1-symbol PUCCH, and in a case wherethe PUCCH format is a 2-symbol PUCCH and is more than 2 bits, the UCI isjointly encoded, the encoded UCI bits are distributed across twosymbols, and if the UCI includes HARQ-ACK and scheduling request (SR),SR bits are appended to HARQ-ACK bits and the HARQ-ACK bits and the SRbits are jointly encoded.